Thinking Critically : World Issues for Reading, Writing, and Research

Just like its predecessor, Thinking Critically helps students improve reading, writing, and research skills while exploring and analyzing major global issues. Although many of the same topics are explored in this second edition—world hunger, global health, gender equality, regional conflict, cultural heritage, and immigration policies—all 31 authentic readings in the second edition are new. New topics included in this edition are cybersecurity, climate change, education reform, leadership, and human rights.

Each chapter contains two or three readings (from print and online news sources, journals, and blogs) designed to raise rather than provide answers; a vocabulary review and discussion questions for each reading; a reaction writing task; a question on the topic to research; a writing assignment for a specific academic or business genre (with models in an appendix); speaking activities (oral presentation, debate, or role-play); and a Thinking about It task. The Thinking about It task calls on students’ ability to evaluate a complex issue with objectivity and to propose a realistic approach, making this textbook good preparation for academic courses that require critical-thinking skills to express opinions both orally and in writing.

Several new academic/business written genres (abstract, fact sheet, briefing paper, report on a survey) have also been added.